After complete shutdown of the Jacks, Saints look to build with two consecutive wins

SCOUTING REPORT

ANTI-SHOT ZONE...The Dubuque Fighting Saints continue to be one of the best teams in terms of stopping the opposition’s shot attempts. The Saints allow an average of 25 shots on goal against, which is second-best in the league behind Youngstown, who is only one shot better. Last night, the Saints put on a defensive clinic, only letting 20 Muskegon shots through to Jaxon Castor, who stopped 19.

NOT A SOLOW EFFORT...Now the team’s leading scorer, Zach Solow’s surge into the top scorers in the league isn’t a venture he has had to do alone. Joined by longtime linemate Colin Theisen, who scored twice in yesterday’s game, Solow dished two primary assists to bring his point total up to 10 for the season, and brought him up to 8th in total league scoring.

ONE DOWN...Last night’s win brought the Fighting Saints to within three points of the Muskegon Lumberjacks, who sit in third place in the Eastern Conference, and within a single point of fourth place, and the very suddenly vulnerable Youngstown Phantoms, who have dropped four of the last six games. The Fighting Saints have clawed their way to picking up standings points in five of the last seven games.

THE NEED-TO-KNOW

CAST THE LINE...The impressive resume of goaltender Jaxon Castor continues to grow by each start. While seven goaltenders in hte league have goals-against averages in the sub-2 range, Castor’s continues to inch closer to that point. Now at a tidy 2.02 GAA, the Arizona State commit continues to cement himself as a solid starter in this league. He has also played in the second-most games in the league, with 11 appearances.

GUESS WHO’S BACK...Fighting Saints forward Dallas Gerads makes his return after missing his mandatory one-game suspension due to a slew foot. The Saints’ third-highest scorer returns just three points shy of 40 career USHL points, and four goals shy of 20. He is also on pace to break his PIMs record set last season (126) with 50 through 11 games of action so far.

EXPECT PETRO...The Jacks’ gargantuan goalie, Keith Petruzzelli, is expected to get the start tonight. The B-ranked goaltender has won three of his last four starts to the tune of a .947 save percentage, and a minuscule 1.47 goals-against average. He stands at 6’5”, and rivals teammate Keenan Suthers (6’8”) in height. He is expected to relieve Adam Brizgala, who made 21 strong saves last night.

STAT OF THE NIGHT

EN-THEIS-ING MILESTONE...Following a season where he scored his first USHL goal two seasons ago, 14 last year, and another five this season, Colin Theisen notched his 20th USHL goal in last night’s win over the Lumberjacks. The Dartmouth commit is tied for the sixth-most goals in the league (5), and is converting at a 20.8% clip. That isn’t far off from his career mark of 19.2%—far above average.

GOING STREAKING...New York Islanders prospect Collin Adams is in the midst of an impressive road scoring streak. Over the past five road games for the Jacks, Adams has scored seven goals. This streak dates all the way back to October 7 against the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders at The Stable.